He Took Not the Challenge Willingly
Morgoth and Donald Trump
Greetings Fellow Tolkien Poppers,
I am currently at the end of graduate school and it has been a long month as I approach graduation in May (fingers crossed). So, I am reposting this piece I wrote for Medium in 2020. I have decided to repost this in light of the recent indictment of former U.S. president Donald Trump. He is a truly horrid individual and since I have moved to Substack, I thought it an appropriate time to share this post with you since politics are a part of pop culture whether we like it or not.
I promise I will have two pieces in April that are connected to other IPs that aren’t political and way more fun. One will be on Saruman and Gorr the God Butcher from Thor: The Saga of Gorr the God Butcher and another on My Hero Academia. In the meantime, I hope that this post shows you the similarities between Tolkien big bad and one of the world’s political big bads, while also having a laugh at the irony of leaders who take themselves way too seriously at the cost of others. May justice be swift.
In the days following May 25th, which held the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd by the hands Derek Chauvin and others, the sitting president of the United States of America Donald J. Trump has committed multiple atrocities. He has taken another step to sever relations with the rest of the world by pulling out of the World Health Organization,[1] hatefully signed an executive order targeting social media companies to silence them,[2] hid in a deep bunker while he called on others to “risk their lives” to “protect” his,[3] ordered that innocent people be attacked,[4] and debased elements of a faith tradition.[5] I know that I am missing much more.
Who would have thought that Trump was capable of this much action in this short amount of time? The decisions that Trump has made have taken former presidents years to arrive at. Past actions have been accelerated by war or natural emergencies. Trump’s decisive action is uncharacteristic of his presidency. His lack of decisiveness is true until anyone or anything steps in between him and his self-interests.
The recent villainy of Donald Trump kindled a flame in the backburner of my mind. What did his posture of cowardice and pride remind me of? As my memory went from cold to hot it hit me as if tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire: Morgoth. If you are unfamiliar with the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, Morgoth is the prime Enemy of Middle-earth and all that are good that dwell within its borders. There are three main works that comprise the world of Middle-earth. They include The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Sauron is probably more recognizable, thanks to the popularity of the Peter Jackson Films. Although Sauron is more popular and more present in Middle-earth (Sauron appears in all three works in one way or another), Morgoth is the OG Dark Lord.
Both Morgoth and Sauron have enacted similar variations of what Trump has done. All three have postured themselves in fear and self-preservation at all cost. I’d like to highlight the similarities between the rebellious and violent histories of both Morgoth and Donald Trump. Inquiry into their similarities will be done through episodic analysis and to establish a foundation of understanding through the history of events associated with Morgoth and Donald Trump. I will then connect particular historical events of each to some of the current actions taken by Donald Trump in response to the protests in the United States that have broken out in reaction to the murder of George Floyd.
I will begin with the origins of both Morgoth and Trump. Morgoth first appears at the birth of the Universe in which Middle-earth is located. Tolkien’s story of the creation of the Universe is called the Ainulindalë and it is located in The Silmarillion. Originally known as Melkor, Morgoth is created by Ilúvatar and is privileged with power inherited from his Creator. Morgoth seizes this power to challenge Ilúvatar and attempts to win over other created beings with his powerful display for the purpose of possessing the World for his own ends. (Silmarillion, 4-6, 11) Inheritance of privilege and power are elements that Trump shares with Tolkien’s Satan-like antagonist. According to an investigation conducted by The New York Times Trump received multiple millions of dollars from his father, Fred Trump.[6] These inheritances are utilized for the continual snatching and preservation of power. The power given to Morgoth was taken by him for the destruction of the created world (Silmarillion, 12), industrial pillaging of the land (Silmarillion, 31, 139), thievery (Silmarillion, 87-88), murder, enslavement (Silmarillion, 50), and possibly sexual violence (Silmarillion, 50). These wounds inflicted upon Creation by Morgoth would have lasting effects to the point where the very fabric of Middle-earth would be eternally marred and will not come to heal until a later time. Trump’s history may not hold such cosmic consequences as does Morgoth’s, but his use of power reflects similar crimes.
Throughout Trump’s life and career he has endangered the Earth’s climate,[7] been accused of countless acts of sexual violence,[8] scammed people out of millions of dollars,[9] attempted to seize people’s property,[10] and is an outspoken racist. The heaping pile of wickedness just listed has culminated in one of the worst presidencies in recent memory. Tyranny sums it up not-so-nicely.
This brief comparison of the general origins, history, and use of power of Morgoth and Trump will serve as a catalyst to understanding the parallels of both Dark Lords’ approaches to challenges.
Morgoth’s tenure stands on deception, domination, self-preservation, and subtlety. It is said in The Silmarillion that Morgoth’s strength is unmatched by his peers (Silmarillion, 4) but he rarely if ever challenges others on his own. The victories that he does attain are largely due to his uncanny ability to deceive allies, dominate servants through fear, and psychologically manipulate enemies to accomplish his evil ends. All done from the comfort of his underground fortress known as Utunmo or Angband. In one of the key turning points in The Silmarillion Morgoth successfully steals three powerful and magical jewels called the Silmarils. Shortly after his acquirement of the Silmarils he immediately delves deeper into his underground bunker, makes himself an iron crown to set the Silmarils on, and proclaims himself “King of the World” (Silmarillion, 90). The irony about Morgoth’s self-coronation is that he claims the World as his but hardly spends any time in it. About the only times he does come out of Angband are because he is forced to do so by assailants or to preserve his image as powerful.
A scene at one of the many battles in The Silmarillion reveals the very reluctance of Morgoth to put himself in harm’s way rather than manipulating others to put themselves at risk on his behalf. During the Battle of Sudden Flame also called the Dagor Bragollach, an Elf-warrior of high stature named Fingolfin fights his way to the gates of Angband and calls out a challenge to Morgoth to fight in single combat. Morgoth’s reaction reads, “That was the last time in those wars that he passed the doors of his stronghold and it is said that he took not the challenge willingly; for though his might was greatest of all things in this world, alone…he knew fear” (Silmarillion, 184).
The grandstanding of Donald Trump contains many of the same tactics that Morgoth employed. Both have access to an incredible amount of power and both have relied on others to do their dirty work for them. Once they’ve successfully bullied someone into accomplishing their ends for them they are quick to swipe these achievements as their own. In reality neither Morgoth nor Trump have really done anything of repute. Threatening their constituents and peers through fear, domination, and manipulation is what makes them masters of their craft and has landed them in their positions of power. These methods of acquiring strength seem to convince both Trump and Morgoth that they will be perceived as respectful, powerful, and authoritative. In reality, when we survey the historical action of these tyrants it becomes clearer and clearer that we are presented with some of the weakest individuals, who solely depend on the talent of others to get what they want; who hide behind walls when the going gets tough.
The good that we can take away from this comparison is that Morgoth’s actions (and all of Tolkien’s villains’ actions) are what lead to his downfall. In this election year with protests breaking out across the U.S. we can see Trump scraping the bottom of the barrel at an attempt to maintain what he thinks is an image of strength and respect. “Things tend to get worse before they get better” as the phrase goes and I think that we’re seeing the beginning of Trump’s end.
I’ll give the last word to Professor Tolkien:
“…the most improper job of any man…is bossing other men. Not one in a million fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.” (Letter 52)
[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/05/29/865816855/whos-muted-reaction-to-trumps-pledge-to-withdraw-u-s-from-the-u-n-agency
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-preventing-online-censorship/
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/politics/trump-protests-george-floyd.html
[4] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/06/01/george-floyd-donald-trump-order-additional-help-cities-amid-protests/5312338002/
[5] https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/867532070/trumps-unannounced-church-visit-angers-church-officials
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html?searchResultPosition=4 Speculation on whether or not Trump’s handling of monetary gifts as fraudulent is not the intended goal of this post.
[7] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19122019/trump-climate-policy-record-rollback-fossil-energy-history-candidate-profile
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/us/politics/donald-trump-women.html
[9] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/04/10/trump-university-settlement-judge-finalized/502387002/
[10] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/08/19/donald-trumps-abuse-of-eminent-domain/